I am the author of "Delilah's Black Book of Poems" (WIP) and "A Man Barely Breathing" (Completed).

I am currently working on...

Delilah's Black Book of Poems: I consider this my 'main' story and I will not give up on it until I finish it.

A Snatcher's Past (a one-shot about the gorgeous Snatcher, Scabior that is being written for the House Cup Collab. Due in August, 2011. Go Slytherin House)!

Untitled Work: I have accepted a Challenge... Pyromania's 'The Language of Flowers' Challenge. My flower is the Violet Rose, which means 'Love at first site.' This will be a Dramione. It isn't due until September 30, 2011.

I have many other HPFF stories started, but find that I need to stick with my Delilah story and finish it before starting another large project. I have probably twenty or so stories that I'm just dying to get out... but I must discipline myself or 'Delilah' will never get done.

First off... Thank you for seeking me out a bit further and finding my Author Page. It is great to hear from you over here!
Secondly... Being 'obsessed' is a huge compliment and I thank you very much for it.

And really... Your question is not an easy one, but I will try not to bore you to sleep with the answer.

This book is really sort of a series of ideas and answers to my own 'what if' questions. And the biggest influence that I've been using is REAL LIFE.

I love Dramione and wanted to write a story that would give Draco a REALLY COMPELLING REASON to love Hermione. And I wanted to give him serious depth to his amazing character.

I saw something long ago that spoke of three desires of men... Love, Money, & Power. The thought stuck with me over the years and greatly influenced this fic, as I equate these to things that women want from Draco.

I thought of what the actor Tom Felton (and really any other famous young star) might really go through as a celebrity. The main problem being... not really knowing if a girl is genuine or is only with him for his looks, his money, or his fame. Women lust after Tom Felton and they don't even know the REAL him as a person. In this fic, I want Draco to crave the real thing, and so he must have a troubled, hurtful past with women to really crave it. (Hence Chapter 7, "Draco's Women" and the Slytherin party of Chapter 8).

Since you were looking at my fic because of Sectum Sempra, I can tell you that during that scene is when this realization takes place... her reason for being with him will SHOCK him (and hopefully my readers).

I began the story in December, which is why Christmas Carol was a large influence.

The actual "Blackbook of Poems" piece of it is my main magical element in this story. And really it began as something that I wanted Hermione to have to teach her about Draco. There are paralells to Draco and the Author of the book that she reads and begins to understand his life on a deeper level than most.

See... not such an easy answer.

My secret? I don't have one. But the only thing I can think of is that I try to inject my stories with magic. After all, this is the magical realm and I want to be sure to add these elements into my story to keep it magical (like liquor sticks, etc...).

I'm so glad that you've been enjoy it! I've been working at this next chapter lately and will be trying to get it right in this coming week. *Hopes for time*

Thank you so much for your kind and wonderful comments. You are truly appreciated!

Dark Whisper,
First off, I'd like to thank you for all the kind reviews on my stories. I love reading them and they always bring smiles to my face.
Also, I'd just like to say that you are an amazing, incredible author and I adore reading your fanfiction and your wonderful take on "Dramione"
A few questions I'd like to ask are:
As a fellow Dramione shipper, what made you fall in love with the idea of Draco and Hermione together?
And is it possible for you to see either Draco or Hermione with someone else? And if it is, who?

Dark Whisper,First off, I'd like to thank you for all the kind reviews on my stories. I love reading them and they always bring smiles to my face.Also, I'd just like to say that you are an amazing, incredible author and I adore reading your fanfiction and your wonderful take on "Dramione" A few questions I'd like to ask are:As a fellow Dramione shipper, what made you fall in love with the idea of Draco and Hermione together?And is it possible for you to see either Draco or Hermione with someone else? And if it is, who?

Again, I'm loving your work so please keep writing!

Ring! So happy to see you over here, a wonderful surprise!

You are most welcome. I'm glad that I can bring a smile to your face.

What made me fall in love with Draco and Hermione together?

Well... I have to admit when I saw Tom Felton in the 3rd movie, he was still young, yes. But I remember being in the theatre, eating my popcorn, minding my own business when Draco popped onto the scene. My jaw dropped to the floor, and I'm pretty sure that everyone around heard me gasp and say two little words, "He's Gorgeous!" LOL!

Later in the movie, I then watched as Hermione decked him... and from then on, I thought... These two MUST BE TOGETHER!

That was pretty much all it took for me to love them as the forbidden couple that they are.

And of course... they are so much fun with her temper and his sarcasm. And their storylines can have such depth and meaning behind them... Forbidden love, Hate turning to Love, Acceptance, Dark turning to the Light... I mean these are really beautiful themes with so much potential.

Sorry, but being best friends and then eventually falling in love is nice and all... but it is also quite boring in the romance department.

Of course, most strict canon folks have read all the books fifty times and just cannot see them ever being together. I admittedly, have not read all of them, so I do not have JKR's Draco stuck in my head. And therefore, I can and do see them together as a natural and smart fit.

Can I see Draco or Hermione with someone else? Hmm.

Yes, but I have my limits. For instance, I thought of writing Draco with an OC, but this woman is something that he thinks he wants, but she is very 'unhealthy' for him. I picture her with extremely long (beyond normally long) jet black hair, skin as pale as his, mysterious, quiet and 'goth-girl-like." But its the quiet ones that you have to look out for... as she is very dark and downright dangerous. She knows her potions that can keep a man, which would prove quite unhealthy for him. The story doesn't have a plot at the moment, so don't expect that one anytime soon.

Honestly, I have not been able to see Hermione with someone else, unless maybe it is Scabior, the Snatcher that took the Trio to Malfoy Manor. And really, not a long-term relationship. He is a handsome bad boy that she would most certainly be attracted to, but he wouldn't be on the same intelligence level as her and he wouldn't stay for long. It would be a relationship doomed.

For Draco and Hermione to be truly happy and in love, they must be together. And if they cannot be together, then they must long for it, wish things could be different, as in "the one that got away" storyline that could be very beautiful and heartwrenching.

Ah... the possibilites of Dramione romance. You have my imagination running wild tonight... such inspiration being able to chat with a fellow shipper.

Thank you so much for coming here and giving me such compliments and for giving me an outlet to talk about these two favorite characters... as the epic couple of HPFF!

Hi! I love your stories, they are very original and keep me on my toes. I would love to write a story with you one day.How do you get your inspiration to write each chapter?

Evoltenshi,

Hello, there! I finally got a chance to respond to your Review of Delilah's Black Book of Poems and be able to respond here.I have been so very busy lately, so please accept my apology for being so slow.

How do I get inspiration to write each chapter?

I love listening to music. Many times I would listen to a song called "Farewell to Dobby" from the Deathly Hallows soundtrack. It is beautiful and sad and really can set the tone of sadness. I also listen to the theme from the movie "Somewhere in Time." It is hauntingly beautiful and deeply romantic.

For my story, "Disappear with Me," I've been listening to the soundtrack to "Great Expectations." The movie set is my inspiration for the grand aristocratic gardens of the Black family estate. So this has been wonderful inspiration for me!

For each chapter, I try to describe in great detail, the surroundings so that others can see what my characters see.

As far as the storyline, well. I don't know really, except that I ask myself questions. What would I want to see or experience? How can I make it better? How can I inject magic in my story so that it remains interesting?

Things like that. Spelling it out sounds pretty boring. LOL!

Now about that book you want to write...On the Archive, your review was such a huge compliment. You wanting to write the actual book has me shocked and very flattered that I would inspire you to do such a thing!

However, I must decline because of the HUGE plans that I have involving the book when she is with Harry searching for Horcruxes and he is living with the Dark Lord.

It will be explained that the author learns of unique Elf magic and learns how to bend light. This will be how Draco will see Hermione... as an apparition / hallucination during the war. There will be some very emotional stuff portrayed regarding this.

The book also explains (through stories) of a young man who cannot have the one he loves. This is what teaches Hermione 'more about Draco than he could ever teach her.' Something that you read earlier that Abraxas told Draco.

And I cannot give it away, but the author is someone specific that ties so well with JKR's story that I'm doing flipflops trying to keep it to myself! LOL!

I know I haven't really given anything away here, but I hope it explains why I must decline your offer of writing the book.

However, I cannot prevent you from doing something of your own originality involving a book with poems and stories and such...

I hope this explains things further and that I have not lost a reader/reviewer by saying no. I'm sorry. Thank you so very much for your suggestion and offer. Truly it warms my heart and means so very much!

I wanted to Thank you again for all the great reviews you have post on my story "What is love?" They mean a lot to me!

Next, I am absolutely inthralled with "Delilah's Black Book of Poems". I love it so much. I think you are one of the most talented writers I have come across on HPFF (and I have been reading stories on HPFF for almost ten years). I love the dark and twisted love that is coming up between Draco and Hermione. It has my heart wretching for Draco to touch her hand. I think the Vault artwork is truly unique. I love how he takes the picture of Hermione. It's like a picture speaks a thousand words well the action of Draco taking the picture spoke a thousand words and feelings to me.

Hello! What a wonderful thing to come to my Author Page on the forum to see you here. I'm thrilled!

You are so welcome for the reviews as I look forward to reading more of your story.

You give me such an enormous compliment as an author! I wish that I had discovered this site ten years ago! LOL!

There are so many wonderful and amazing stories from such talented authors. I discovered this site just a little over a year ago. It took me awhile of reading to actually post a story. There have been authors that really have inspired me.

Looking back, probably the best response from my review was from an author named Writers_Passion. I love her stories and one day she told me that she tries to 'make each chapter it's own One-shot.' That really clicked with me and I try to keep that in mind when I write my stories, as I thought that was really great advice.

For my Delilah story, Draco and Hermione's relationship is really building and is going to be taking some leaps very soon as holding her hand is actually part of his vault's message!

I'm so glad to hear that you like the vaults. The vaults were actually already partially written to be a future one-shot called "The Art in Dark Arts." But as I was writing DBBPs, I wanted something unique and creative that would bring them together and so I went ahead and decided to include it in this story instead. And I think that it works well except that I am worried in getting too far off the "Christmas Dream theme." Oh well.

The picture... yes he took it. But I will give a bit of a hint. He doesn't get to keep it for long.

I have written bits and pieces of future chapters and I have to say that I have cried in writing some of it. I'm sure I'm at least half crazy in doing such a thing, but their situation is just so sad. I know... Ron would think I'm mental. LOL!

I'm so thankful for all of your reviews and kind words. They encourage me and help me to keep writing. Fourteen chapters have been posted now and that is quite a lot and I think my worst fear as that people will think it is boring and stop reading. Each review and kind word is like a hug and pat on the back helping me to continue this journey that I'm on.

I cannot begin to say what people like you mean to me. I humbly thank you for making the effort and work 'worth it.'

I have been reading some of Writers_Passion. What I have read I have liked. I think I might have to steal that little piece of advice to help me with my story writing. I need something to give my story the push it needs. A few of the authors have inspired me to write my own story through showing their own talent but it is also intimidating to write because there is such talent on HPFF. I can't believe it took me this long to write my own story. It's an interesting new chapter in my life.

I love your Deliah story. (I know I've said it almost a million times but that is because it is so true.) I can't wait to read more.

I think the "vaults" add a lot to the story and helps build the character of more than one of your characters. Lavender? It helps her not be invisible! And It helps show the development of Hermione and Draco's story and why he loves her so much later in life (in the dream) The "vaults" are such a creative way to add depth to the story so don't worry!!

Aww!! He doesn't keep it?? How sad. He liked it so much. Well I can wait to read on to this revelation.

Your story is contains such sad love and dark emotions. I assumed long ago this story would make cry so I guess if that makes me "mental" Then I guess so be it.

Dark Whisper,You are such a talented author. I have been guilty quite a few times of reading your stories well into the night. Have you ever considered writing professionally?

Xenophillius,

Well... it is truly a rare thrill that someone finds me on the forums to ask a question. Thank you so very much for taking the time and for the compliments. Truly... thank you!

My apologies for taking such a long time to respond to this and reviews in general. I am extremely busy... having a full time job that many times requires over-time. I also have two awesome children that are in many, many things (multiple sports and music). I hardly have time to write, but I do enjoy it.

Now.. on to your question.It does have a windy answer, but here goes...

Writing professionally is quite a dream of mine. I would LOVE it immensely.

I even worked at a book publisher/manufacturer for just under a year. I was a coordinator that assisted with work orders, fulfillment, and billing. During that time, I was able to actually watch books being made. From computer file to finished product. I watched as the pages were printed from a huge digital printer and got to see covers actually being made on a 4-color press. I saw covers being measured (there are set calcuations for this depending on the number of pages and the thickness of paper being used). I saw something that looked like a metal wheel glueing the pages to the covers (called perfect-bound) and then a huge blade slicing through all of it to create the finished book.

It was all a very cool process to watch. I even shipped the proofs to the author/publisher for final approval before the book went to print.

I did like it. However, at the time, I had no book finished to print. I still do not. It would have been costly... money I did not have. And the publisher had a very narrow niche... not the fiction writing that I wanted. They serviced professors from colleges that wrote or wanted an out of print book to become available again as well as Bible scholars writing materials for Pastors across the globe to help them. Instructional books, not too much fiction.

I quit when I moved out of town, but took the knowledge gained of the publishing industry with me... hopefully for future use.

Awhile back, I actually had a professor in college tell me that I was a good writer. But the only thing I saw available as a major was Jounalism. Yikes. I did not want to be a journalist... writing about either someone's tragedies or fluff like a pumpkin show. *shivers*

I didn't think I could make any money at writing, so I went into the financial world instead. I am decent at it, but I am miserable. Talk about NO CREATIVITY! The only creative part is trying to come up with ways to make it easier and faster so that I can get out of there!

Writing now... is my stress relief.

When I found this site, I instantly fell in love with it. There were so many stories and so many comments. I was instantly hooked on the fact that somebody like me could post a story and actually get real feedback from a real person. FREE!

I have many unfinished original fiction in notebooks waiting on me to work on them. But who cares about them, but me? No one. I could write 10 or 100 chapters and no one would care. No one encouraging me or telling me if it was crap or not. And so... they all go unfinished.

Also, I seriously lack confidence in my writing. So, with this site, it has been a grand experiment of mine to create a fairly complicated story and actually FINISH IT... gaining feedback as I go.

The many compliments and wonderful Reviews are truly GOLDEN to me. They are the fuel that truly helps keep me going.

My novel on HPFF, Delilah's Black Book of Poems is my true grand experiment. It is very important to me that I keep going to the finish line. It will be a very important milestone and proof that I can actually do it.... however long it takes. I am committed to finishing it.

Writing on this site has been a wonderful ride, but it has also disciplined me to write good publisher-type quality chapters. I don't want to rush through and post something that I am not happy with.

I truly feel that this site will help me get back on track to what I was supposed to do in the first place, which is writing stories.

For far too long I have listened to people say things about failures in the writing world... that too many have tried for nothing... that it is just a waste of time... just a dumb dream.

I grow tired of listening to such discouragement. But it also comes from within as I read a great book or story on HPFF and think... "I'll never be that good."

Reviews and compliments such as yours give me hope that maybe... just maybe... I might... sort of... kind of... be good enough to publish.... some day.

I am truly humbled and thankful at such comments that encourage me along this journey. They tell me to keep going... they nudge me on.

This site, the authors, and the reviewers are just awesome to people like me who need the confidence to attempt the dream.